Enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this authors first attempt at contemporary, I have been a big Eva Chase fan for years and was excited for her new venture with this book. It is a bit of a bully murder mystery. I liked how strong the FMC was even when the guys were awful to her and how she stuck to what she believe needed to be done to take vengeance for her family. That cliffhanger though!! Definitely need to be prepared for it an grab book 2 as soon as possible.

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Raw and gritty

From start to finish the authors and narrators drew me in and kept my attention. Both the authors are new to me and after listening to this book I need to listen to the whole series. After the cliff hanger of an ending I was on the edge of my seat.
I really enjoyed the story, it packed a punch into her characters that they almost seem to be real; Ava Lucas and J F Harding’s narration more than did justice to their story.
This story flowed well and the narration was engaging and easy to listen too. Full of drama and violence with some humour I was totally invested in this raw and gritty story.

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This is going to be a great series!

Mercy thought she would finally escape her father's iron control over her life when she married the head of a rival gang to solidify their alliance. Colt Bryant was not the love of her life, but he always treated her kindly and with respect. But then he turned on her and her family on the night before the wedding. She was the only one who managed to escape. Not sure where to go that Colt wouldn't find her she felt she only had one choice - a crime family that rivaled hers - the Nobles.

Mercy must now find a way to convince Wylder Noble to help her get her revenge. He and his closest associates are not going to let her waltz in and start a war. The things she will have to do to prove herself are not for the faint-hearted. Even if she manages to win over Wylder she might still lose.

I was given a copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.

Such a Great First Book

That ending though! I need the next book right now! I was hooked from the very beginning. Mercy is such a kick butt character and I love her! I cannot wait to get to know the guys better. The steam was awesome so was the action. The narrators were perfect. I will be continuing the series!

Eva Chace writing contemporary? More please.

I'm a huge fan of Ms. Chase's Paranormal books but my true love has always been contemporary books, so when I heard she was dipping her toe in the contemporary genre, I was looking forward to reading and seeing what she would come up with. And I'm so glad I did. The story dug its talons into me from the very beginning with it's Red Wedding start and didn't let go until the very and. I loved the characters and the strength of our main female character as she puts up with all the crap the guys per her through in her quest for revenge.

The dual narration was wonderful and both narrators knocked the characters out of the park. I cannot wait for more!

Tough love.

Wow! Loved this story! What would you do if your hiding out from your family.And you find out the people you are staying with really don't want you there. Narrators worked well together!

wow!!!!

I mother tucking love this it is well written and the dual naration😍😍😍 is bloody perfect to add more to this phenomenal story!!

Scorned Princess

Wow loved this book! On the night before her wedding she lost her entire family to the rival gang led by her fiance. She was marrying Colt to aline her father's gang with Colt's. She barely escaped alive. She ran to Wilder the son of the other gang in the area begging for protection and revenge. First she will have to prove herself to him. She has to solve a murder and clear the name of one of Wilder's inner circle. If she can prove herself they will help her revenge on Colt and his gang. I can wait to see where Mercy's story leads! Ava Lucas and JF Harding were both absolutely incredible narrating this book!

Need the rest on audio!

I have loved pretty much everything Eva Chase has written previously so I knew she would hit it out of the park with her first RH contemporary series under her pen name (Eva Chance) and with Harlow. I couldn't get enough of this story, I devoured it in 2 days haha. I used it as a reward for myself with getting work to-dos accomplished, so I could get back to listening ❤️

In terms of the story, I hadn't read/listened to a MC book in awhile and it was a nice change of pace for me. I thought the guys provided the right amount to rollercoaster moments, good pace with the story and the budding relationships. This did have some heat, but not overwhelming, because of the guys relationships, despite it being a MC world. need time to develop. Nothing was really instant for Mercy and her guys of Crooked Paradise. I love the different dynamics, with how different the guys are. Loved the friends before trope, loved the nerdy/introverted trope, the cold/sexy one, and the flirty/ladies' man personality. I think my favorites are probably Kaige (the cat, his flirty side with Mercy but also getting on her side early on, the finish at the end made me happy and sad at the same time!) and Rowan (I have a soft spot for what he did for her with the freezer and I think their make-up is going to be 🔥🔥🔥). I have a feeling the other two will win me over, especially how they already admitted their connection/feelings for Mercy. I like the mystery of the first book, while getting to know the side characters more. I definitely didnt like some (some grew on you) and am worried about Wylder's dad, that's for sure! I liked the twists and action, it made the story super intriguing and I didnt want to leave that world!

For the narration, I thought both did a great job! Easily 5/5 stars for me. I thought Ava did a great job with Mercy and her various emotions and situations she put herself in with her parkour skills, bad decisions, horrible luck, etc haha. I thought she made me hate the groupies, which good job, that was the point haha. I did want to smack Wylder's relative upside the head with her attitude, and that is really a testament to Eva, Harlow, and Ava's great tag team. Ava really brought these characters to life! I liked JF's portrayal of the sexy MC men, and some of the bad guys were done well too. Again, I am nervous but excited to meet Ezra! I liked how you could tell some of the guys apart without knowing who was in the scene. Good performance, definitely will be checking more audiobooks out from both of these narrators.

5/5 stars, definitely recommend this series! I thought it was a great start, with just enough background, intrigue, angst, steam, and action. Great job, can't wait to listen to more as they come out on audio 😊

Never a dull moment!

I loved this story from start to finish! There really is no dull moment because the action starts right away and just keeps going. This book totally sucked me in and I fell in love with these characters. They each have their own layers that I can tell we've only just started to glimpse. I love the FMC's fire and her back-and-forth with the guys is great. That enemies-to-lovers angst keeps the romantic tension high even though we get some steam too. Not to mention the suspense and plot twists (one big one in particular that was wonderfully surprising)! I am excited to see what comes next.

For the narration, I give both a 5/5. I really feel like they brought the story to life and their voices fit the characters well.

Quick & Dirty Details:
- Strong and sassy FMC
- Reverse Harem - 4 guys?
- New Adult, Dark Enemies-to-Lovers Contemporary Crime Romance
- Fast burn steam, slow burn romance
- Multi POV
- New Series Starter